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gel peeler

Hi everyone- just acquired a 27' Alan Buchanan designed cold moulded ply boat which has grotty epoxy sheathing. Any reason which I should not use a new blade on an electric planer on finest setting to get this off before re-epoxying? Surely that is what a gel peeler is?

Re: gel peeler

define grotty
Is the epoxy coming off? Is it wet underneath? Does it have an actual cloth sheathing? Can it be ground without gumming up the abrasive?
Is it just the anti foul that has built up too thick?

Unless it NEEDS to be removed, I would think s proper sanding would be in order. That means SHARP sandpaper. Dull sandpaper will just heat up the epoxy,causing it to lift and fail.
Power planing will probably leave a bigger mess and maybe damage, which will STILL need expert fairing with a grinder. (or a million hours of torture boarding).How easy would it be to find yourself planing the thin layers of the wood molding . The planer blades would stay sharp for about 30 seconds.
bruce

Re: gel peeler

Osmosis ? Ya I think that is a different chemistry.
Can you get to the boat and pick at some of these blisters and photograph them? Try to pull the cloth off by hand beyond the bubbles. Are you sure it is even epoxy?
We can focus ideas and help much better with more info.

Re: gel peeler

I'd be very afraid of reducing the thickness of a cold molded hull. The stiffness of the panel declines drastically with thickness and the shell is almost all the structure you have.
Heat gun and scraper followed by an aggressive RO sander like the Festool Rotex would be effective but controllable.

Re: gel peeler

No cloth!
Yikes I would wood her (disc polisher with 8 inch softpad,24/36 grit) ,dry her , and give her 2 layers of dynel. Then modern epoxy/LP coating.
Yes it seems to be baked by the sun.
Those familiar with uv damaged epoxy can tell instantly by the smell of the sanding dust.
bruce

Re: gel peeler

AS, the veneers on this boat are likely 1/8", even a cautious sanding is going to remove a lot of cedar( at least thats what I would guess...) I'd sand it as judiciously as I could, glass and epoxy coat, and then decide if paint. or varnish are your friends... Cheers, S

Re: gel peeler

Agree with what Wizbang said above, sanding will be far more controllable than planing and remove less structure given equal skill levels on both tools.
I would use a very firm pad instead of a soft pad though. I was taught by Dudley, the master grinder on Lake Union back in the early 70's, how to use a firm backed, 24 grit, 7", slow turning grinder like a block plane to fair new hulls and decks.
A proper video might be able to communicate the technique, but here is a shot: basically you never turn the pad on edge, you just 'think' about that quadrant of the disc you wish to do the cutting and that bit of pressure and a sweeping motion makes this tool your block plane motion. If you have ever used a floor polisher you know the idea of slight up and down pressure on the handle to make the thing move left and right on its own...without smashing the walls.
Remove the side handle from the grinder and put one hand right on the rounded business end of the tool, the other hand on the trigger. AFter awhile, the hand over the end of the tool will start to feel the high spots, just like you do with a hand plane.
Get a 2 x12, paint it with anything and then try this technique to remove the paint and leave a fair surface. A random orbital sander will work as well, I love my old Fein unit.
Remember, there was a time when your muscles and hands had to learn the proper techniques of using a hand plane to achieve a straight and square surface.

Re: gel peeler

Re: gel peeler

I have only the experience of my eyes watching Dudley fair the top sides of a 65' motor yacht, planked in red cedar, with the wedges seams splines just having been slicked off, all this faired to baby butt smooth fairness. The paint crew primered and used very light putties. I actually do not remember any long boarding after Dudley was done.

And the experience of my own hands, fairing newly laid teak decks, fairing the carvel planked/wedge seamed 'Eel' hulls I built, etc, along with re-planking jobs where most were shutter planks...all faired with grinders and stiff pads.

Any tool poorly used can create damage, the brief description of the technique I gave can be tried by anyone, preferably on a piece of scrap to test the technique a bit before attempting to fair your recently completed hull or deck.

Re: gel peeler

And yes Wizbang, Barbie waving.

Also that plastic backer pad is probably pretty good. Dudley was always on the hunt for the old resin or phenolic backed pads that were 'just right' in their stiffness and give. Can't remember exactly what they were made of, but they are long gone.

Re: gel peeler

Oh God! It's time for her to be sanded, dried , and sheathed!
That top lam get waterlogged ...that is bad news for this boat.
Leaving her bright finished for this long has already given licks.
The clapped out finish on the cosmetic toe rail speaks to her peril!